1884

January through April 20: Nice

The second part of Also sprach Zarathustra appeared at the very beginning of 1884.

The second part of Also sprach Zarathustra, written during the summer of 1883, is published. Like the first part, fewer than ten percent of the printed copies are sold; Fritzsch will acquire 907 copies in 1886. [Chronik, p. 574].

With Joseph Paneth, continued intensive conversations on a variety of issues. Paneth returns to Vienna on 26 March; thereafter FN and Paneth exchange infrequent letters. Paneth married Sophie Schwab; in 1887 they had a son whom they named Friedrich. Paneth became Privatdozent for physiology at the university in Vienna, but died young of tuberculosis in 1890. One of N's most significant personal interactions at this time.

Acquaintance with Resa von Schirnhofer (1855-1948). Resa was born in Krems, Austria, and came to Zurich in 1882 to undertake a course of study, as the Swiss university system permitted female students. She met Meta von Salis there in 1883. Originally of affluent circumstances, she lost most of her resources by investing in government bonds during the first world war, forcing her to earn a living by giving piano and language lessons.

The third part of Also sprach Zarathustra will be the last book of Nietzsche's that Schmeitzner publishes.

In rapid succession the third part of Zarathustra appears in print. FN worked on this part from August 1883 through January 1884. Complimentary copies were sent to Burckhardt, Heinrich von Stein, and Gottfried Keller, among others. Burckhardt did not acknowledge the receipt of his copy for some time. This part sells even fewer copies than the previous two: Fritzsch will receive some 937 copies (out of one thousand) in 1886. [Chronik, p. 582-583]

Excerpt from the notebooks
Negativer Charakter der "Wahrheit" - als Beseitigung eines Irrthums, einer Illusion. Nun war die Entstehung der Illusion eine Förderung des Lebens - - [Negative character of "truth" - as the elimination of an error, of an illusion. The inception of the illusion however was a demand of life --- --- ] (KGW VII-2, p. 53)

Late April to mid-June: Venice

Mid-June to mid-July: Basel, Val Piora, Zürich

An almost month-long visit (June 15 to Juli 2) to the old "haunts" in Basel. This will be FN's last visit to Basel prior to the onset of his madness. Visit in Zürich by Resa von Schirnhofer; acquaintance with Meta von Salis (1855-1929).

Mid-July through late September: Sils-Maria

Mid-September: Rohde visits Overbeck in Zürich.

From the notebooks
NB. Die bestgeglaubten a priorischen "Wahrheiten" sind für mich - Annahmen bis auf Weiteres z.B. das Gesetz der Causalität sehr gut eingeübte Gewöhnungen des Glaubens, so einverleibt, daß nicht daran glauben das Geschlecht zu Grunde richten würde. Aber sind es deswegen Wahrheiten? Welcher Schluß! Als ob die Wahrheit damit bewiesen würde, daß der Mensch bestehn bleibt! [NB. The most popular, a priori "truths" are for me -- assumptions until further notice, e.g., the law of causality, extremely habitual conventions of belief, so deeply assimilated, that not to believe in them would be the ruin of our kind. But just because of that they are truths? What a conclusion! As if truth were proved by the survival of humans!] (KGW VII-2, p. 152)